Jeanne Murray Vanderbilt

Jeanne Murray Vanderbilt
Born
Jeanne Lourdes Murray

1919
DiedDecember 15, 2013
Occupation(s)heiress
socialite
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1956)​
ChildrenAlfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III
Heidi Vanderbilt
RelativesCatherine Murray di Montezemolo (sister)
Thomas E. Murray (grandfather)

Jeanne Lourdes Murray Vanderbilt (1919–2013) was an American heiress and socialite. She was the second wife of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr.

Early life and family

Vanderbilt was born Jeanne Lourdes Murray in 1919. She was the eldest eldest child of John Frances Murray, a commissioner of the New York Port Authority.[1] She was the sister of Catherine Murray di Montezemolo and a granddaughter of the inventor and businessman Thomas E. Murray.[1] She was the cousin of Anne McDonnell, the first wife of Henry Ford II.[1] Vanderbilt was an heiress to the Murray family fortune.[2] The Murrays were a wealthy Irish Catholic family prominent in New York City and Southampton.[3]

Vanderbilt grew up at 755 Park Avenue in New York City.[1]

Adult life

Prior to her marriage, Vanderbilt was employed as a publicity agent at the Stork Club.[1] During her marriage, she worked as a production assistant for the David Frost Show.[4]

She married the sportsman and Vanderbilt family heir Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. at Philadelphia City Hall on October 13, 1945 following an elopement from New York in a private plane.[1] The ceremony was officiated by the magistrate Nathan A. Beifel in the office of Judge Charles Klein.[1] She was Vanderbilt's second wife.[5] The private ceremony was attended by a friend of the bride and Colonel Sol Rosenblatt, the groom's attorney.[1]

The Vanderbilts had two children, Heidi Murray Vanderbilt and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III.[2][6] They announced their separation in January 1956 and divorced later that year.[2][7]

Following her divorce, Vanderbilt lived in New York City, Palm Beach, and Paris.[8][3]

Death

She died on December 15, 2013.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Alfred Gwynne Vanderbalt Marries Jeanne Murray in Air Elopement". The New York Times. 13 December 1945. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "People, may 21, 1956". May 21, 1956 – via content.time.com.
  3. ^ a b Dunne, Dominick. "The Vanderbilt Century | Vanity Fair". Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive.
  4. ^ "Miss Vanderbilt Becomes Bride Of Jones Harris" – via TimesMachine.
  5. ^ "Milestones, Jan. 2, 1950". TIME. January 2, 1950.
  6. ^ Lilly, Doris (April 7, 1975). "Another Vanderbilt Break-up, and a Pretty Robyn Bobs Onto the Scene". People. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  7. ^ "VANDERBILTS DIVORCED; Decree Granted in Idaho on Ground of Cruelty". The New York Times. 19 December 1956. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b "JEANNE VANDERBILT Obituary (1919 - 2012) - Tucson, AZ - New York Times". Legacy.com.